Behind Closed Doors
by Kurohane Ookami
Summary: They deserted Soul Society during the Quincy extermination because they believed it was the right thing to do. After being in exile for two hundred years, they're being called back from the World of the Living, and this time, as Shinigami. "No! You're supposed to go over there! Son of a- NO! LEFT! LEFT! MY OTHER LEFT, DAMNIT!" M for language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Behind Closed Doors

**Pairing(s): **Renji/OC, Hisagi/OC, other undecided pairings

**Genre: **Humor, Adventure, Drama, Romance

**Rating: **M for language and sexual themes. _No lemons or serious yaoi._

**So, hey all. Glad to see you're looking well…**

**This was a rather difficult decision for me, as a writer, to come to for the fate of this fiction, which was previously known as When We Stand Together. Now, obviously, I'm not going to up and delete everything that I've done and worked on for that fiction, considering that it took me so damn long, but it is now officially discontinued and will remain as such. However, it doesn't mean that it can't be rewritten. Which, as you can probably tell, I am doing. The potential that this story and the characters engineered have was a little too tempting for me just to put aside and forget, so this is now going to be my new project of 2013-2014. (When I'm not trying to finish up Lisemwalo Lipo, anyway.) But anywho, this is what I'm doing, and I hope you all enjoy my second try at rewriting a fic. (Speaking of which, I want to try and finish Behind the Mask…)**

**Please review!**

-;-

_Prologue_

There were a great many things that could be done instead of lazing around in the sun on this fine summer day. Work, for example, was always an option, though the means behind which were less than appealing to anyone, really.

The clouds were dusted across the sky like faint replicas of paint spatter; the sunlight filtering through them with ease. The sounds of birds were muted, farther off in the wooded area that surrounded the large clear and grassy hill overlooking Karakura Town.

A woman sighed, nearly purring at the sensation of the sun warming her skin, and rolled over, nearly taking out her companion, another woman.

"The sun feels so nice…" the first woman sighed, looking like she was nothing more than a content housecat as she rolled around in the grass, limbs splayed in every which way and her dark brown hair closely resembling freshly dug earth falling over her face, her crimson bangs striking compared to her dark blue eyes that could just be seen poking out from underneath the mane. A dark red t-shirt matched her hair, while a pair of black denim shorts graced her legs, a pair of black and white converse decorated with lime green laces on her feet.

"I know…" her closest female companion sighed, wriggling happily on her back, stretching her arms out above her head as she did so. "Do we really have to head back and work later? I think we should just stay out here all day."

Her eyes were gold, though her hair was the same shade of earthen brown as the former woman's, and she had a streak of teal running through her bangs. She wore a plain black tank top over a pair of white denim shorts, and pale green flip flops adorned her slender feet.

"The both of you should know by now that we have to go to work in a couple of hours." The third person present- male- muttered, although he too was splayed out in the grass. His long limbs were tucked neatly under him, a pair of grey jeans and a white t-shirt clinging to his lean frame. A pair of gold eyes like one of the women's looked over the town laid out below them, his mottled brown hair falling in a straight sheet down the back of his neck, and he looked soothed at the fact that the sun was beating down on the back of his neck. "Unfortunately."

"Ah well. I've got double tattoos booked for this afternoon anyway." The first woman sighed, blowing her red bangs out of her face. "What about you, Sanura?"

'Sanura' bobbed her head in agreement, blue bangs nodding along with the motion. "Yep! I've got a beauty of a motorcycle coming in this afternoon for maintenance. I might even get to test it out once it's ready to go, too~!"

"So, oh wise and wonderful elder brother of ours, what's on your agenda this afternoon?" the first woman smirked, rolling onto her stomach and folding her arms in order to rest her chin on them. "I've got stuff to do, Sanura's going to go racing while no one's looking, and you…haven't said anything as to what you're up to at work."

The male grimaced. "Unfortunately, I actually have to do work. We're building a new apartment complex a couple miles out."

"In this weather? Ouch, I feel for you, Kizuro." The first woman flinched.

"Hey, I've done worse, Sayomi. Remember the storm a couple years back and we were out and got caught right in the middle of it? I'll be fine."

"Uh huh. We've heard that one before, brother dearest." Sayomi rolled her eyes, rolling back onto her back and closing her eyes. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I would love to get some sleep before my phone alarm goes off and destroys all happiness in my life."

Sanura and Kizuro both lifted brows at their sister as she rolled back over and almost immediately started snoring before turning and looking at one another again. This behavior wasn't exactly unusual, given the company they usually kept, so they weren't even going to bother being concerned. Sayomi wasn't dead; she just had the ability to conk out wherever she happened to be, in pretty much any condition. Hell, she'd even slept through a live concert once when she'd been dragged along by Sanura. She still wasn't entirely sure how her sister had managed to pull that one off, but who was she to question the way her sibling slept? Kizuro made a nest out of sheets and various other materials in his room, so there was another quirk that could be possibly considered as strange. Sanura…well, she was apparently the only 'normal' one when it came to sleeping. Although she did have a habit of falling out of bed, if that counted?

Silence fell over the trio, and the sun continued to move across the sky, leaving the inhabitants of the earth below in contentment.

-;-

Funnily enough, it was also a sunny day in Soul Society. The sun was shining, the sakura blossoms were blooming in full abundance, the birds were chirping…

And all of the Captains of the Gotei 13 were trapped indoors for yet another meeting.

Captain Kyoraku of the Eighth Division stared longingly out one of the many windows, wondering why on earth the Head Captain had called an emergency meeting on such a beautiful summer day. A few places down the line, Captain Ukitake glanced over in amusement, knowing exactly what his long-time friend was thinking and wondering the same thing. Why _had_ the Head Captain called them for an emergency meeting?

The other Captains stood silent, waiting for the grizzled man to begin speaking.

"Captains of the Gotei 13." He finally spoke, his voice a low rumble. "I have called you together for an emergency meeting to discuss something of great importance to our future. As some of you may remember, many years ago during the Quincy extermination, a small group of Shinigami deserted and joined forces with the Quincy."

Kyoraku flicked his gaze lazily over to the Head Captain, as did the other senior Captains. He could recall quite easily what group the Head Captain spoke of. However, Byakuya, one of the junior Captains, raised a brow questioningly.

"I fail to see how this is relevant to why you have called us here, Head Captain. Unless these Shinigami have suddenly decided to attack Soul Society?"

The grizzled elder man sent the young Captain a sharp look and ignored the noble's comment, earning an amused smirk from Shinji Hirako, the newly reinstated Captain of the Fifth Division.

"As I was saying." Yamamoto growled out, "The group of Shinigami that had deserted were later apprehended and sentenced to permanent exile for their actions. They were then cast into the World of the Living to carry out their sentence."

A few people were nodding, having heard these things from other sources, but otherwise, there was nothing else said. There was a heavy silence; everyone was waiting to see what would be said next.

"Now, however, I have ended the exile of these ten former Shinigami to have them return to Soul Society because of something that is sending Soul Society into an emergency state as of now. Lieutenant Sasakibe."

"Hai, Captain. Two nights ago, Head Captain Yamamoto and I received reports stating that an Arrancar was seen in the Rukon Districts."

Captain Kurotsuchi snorted lightly, raising a painted brow. "Is this what you've called us together for? A single, lowly Arrancar?" the scientist asked delicately.

"Not just an Arrancar, Captain Kurotsuchi." Yamamoto corrected. "One of Aizen's original Espada from his personal army."


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay for re-writing old fanfictions! Thanks to you people for already reviewing and enjoying the re-write of this fiction, as it does motivate me and makes me feel good about my writing. Anywho, on with the fic! **

**I will have you know that there are a lot of similarities and direct quotes from When We Stand Together, so please don't give me crap about that. It's mine and I can do what I want with it, dangit!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. **

-;-

"I'm home!"

"Welcome home, Nura!" Sayomi called back. "Pizza's on the counter!"

"Alright!" the shorter brunette called back, adjusting her large back over her shoulder and moving into the small kitchen. "Is Kizuro home yet?"

"No, he's still at work. Apparently they're going to be working late tonight. Though how that's going to work out without all the high tech lighting and everything I don't know."

Sanura hummed a reply, grabbing the pizza box and dropping her back before sauntering into the other room and flopping down on the couch next to her sister.

"How was your day?" she muttered through a mouthful of pizza.

"Pretty good. A couple of awesome looking tattoos came out of it, and I got a great new contact out of it. Turns out one of the gals that came in was another artist looking to get some ink from a different shop."

"Huh. Who knew?"

"Yeah. What about you? You manage to get a ride on that bike?" Sayomi asked, turning her attention away from the television and raising a brow. "You seemed pretty excited about it earlier."

"Yeah, no. It took longer than I thought to do the maintenance, so I didn't have time to take her out for a spin." Sanura pouted, taking another bite of pizza and swallowing heavily. "Doesn't matter, though. Got plenty of other chances to take another bike out for a ride tomorrow."

"Ah well. Guess all is not lost, then." The elder woman shrugged.

"Uh huh."

There was a comfortable silence for several minutes, both women content to watch whatever show was on, before the phone rang. Sayomi groaned, heaving herself up from the couch, and made her way over to said object before answering.

"Yeah?"

There was some kind of reply from the other end of the line. Almost immediately, Sayomi's face paled.

"What did you just say?"

Again, silence, though there was some kind of muttering from the other end.

"Yeah, we'll grab the others and meet you there in five."

Sanura slowly got up off the couch, not liking the way that her older sister was looking or swaying slightly.

"Yomi-chan? You okay?" she asked carefully as her sister hung up and continued standing there, looking more than a little dazed.

"That was Urahara." The blue eyed woman barely whispered, looking up at Sanura. "He just got word from Soul Society. We're being reinstated immediately."

-;-

By the time Sanura and Sayomi had arrived at Urahara's Shop, the blond haired, green eyed twins Roka and Ryo were already there, as was Rika. The twins, as per usual, were clad in their usual identical manner, while Rika looked as though she'd just got off of work at Karakura Hospital. Her raven black hair was pulled back into a bun by a white ribbon, while her violet eyes watched the twins and their antics with some amusement. At seeing Sanura and Sayomi, she moved over to the two women, features becoming more serious.

"Do you two think it's true?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know." Sayomi replied honestly, though just as seriously. "I mean, I don't understand why we would suddenly just be reinstated unless there was a damn good reason behind it."

Before Rika could answer, the door opened slid open, and Tonbo and Karasu entered. Karasu's long silver hair was in its usual high ponytail, and his crimson gaze was drawn to Tonbo as the smaller black haired, grey eyed male tripped over something and nearly face planted into the floor.

"Jesus. Can't you walk in a straight line?" the silver haired male yawned, easily pulling Tonbo back by the hood of his sweater, years of experience kicking in. Tonbo whined something unintelligible, though by the sounds of it, it was nothing nice.

"Not my fault, Karasu…" the black haired male finally muttered, jutting out his bottom lip and crossing his arms, looking like a beaten puppy. Karasu rolled his eyes, but lay a hand on the shorter male's shoulder and murmured something in his ear, to which Tonbo immediately perked up.

"They're so cute together, aren't they?" Rika smiled fondly. Sayomi and Sanura turned and stared at the raven haired nurse in disbelief, brows raising in unison.

"You do realize that they're not actually in a relationship, right?" Sanura ventured.

Rika gave the youngest Chirazuki a 'no shit' look. "Of course. I didn't say they made a cute couple, though. I just said that they looked cute together. Two entirely different things."

The door slid open yet again, and this time, Kizuro came in, looking like he'd literally just been hauled there, closely followed by none other than Urahara. The blond male's green and white striped hat was tipped down as per usual, allowing no one to get a good look at his eyes. Also, as was custom, he was waving his rather idiotic paper fan about in front of his face, no doubt hoping to appear more mysterious. Of course, to the women of their group, it just looked plain stupid.

"So. Care to explain what the meaning of all of this is, Kisuke? Or are you just going to stand there and grin like the idiot you are?" Kizuro asked bluntly, gold eyes narrowed.

"Hey, hey, no need to use such harsh words, Hayashi-kun~!" Urahara replied cheerily, waving his fan in the brown haired male's direction, to which he earned an irritated growl.

"Don't call me that, you fan-waving moron."

"Boys, do I have to separate you?" Rika interrupted calmly, a small smile on her lips. However, the two men in question almost immediately froze, and a visible shudder worked its way up Kizuro's spine as he slowly turned to face the serene gaze of the violet eyed woman.

"No, ma'am." He said quickly, retreating to the safety of Sayomi and Sanura, while Urahara simply turned his fan over to Rika.

"Scary, how much you resemble Captain Unohana…" he mumbled, half to himself before the blond coughed and composed himself. "Anyway, I don't know all of the details concerning the reasoning behind you being reinstated in Soul Society, but that's only because the Head Captain will tell you himself when you arrive."

"What about the brats? Aren't they coming?" Karasu inquired, blowing bangs out of his eyes.

Urahara chuckled softly before shaking his head. "As much as the offer tempted them, they are declining the offer, regardless of what it may entail. After all, they weren't much for Soul Society in the beginning, if you recall."

"So….you basically called us here to let us know that you're opening a gate for us to Soul Society and that they'll be waiting for us in a Captains meeting?" Sayomi raised a brow.

"Uhh….yep. That sounds about right." The blond shopkeeper grinned, flapping his fan back and forth. "Oh, and I should probably mention that they're expecting you to be in full uniform. So I suggest you go and grab those, along with your zanpakuto."

"So, is that it? We don't really have much of a choice, do we?" Sanura groaned to herself. "Come on, Yomi-chan. Let's go find where we put our shit."

With that, the youngest Chirazuki seized her elder sister's arm and hauled her out the door, Urahara calling cheerfully after them, "Be back in an hour~!"

"Whatever!"


	3. Chapter 3

"You know, I don't think I quite recall this uniform fitting so well." Sanura muttered to herself, looking down over her chest to look at the rest of the uniform. "Although I gotta admit, the Chinese slippers were the best idea we ever had. They're freaking comfortable."

Sayomi huffed in distaste, pulling the black kosode away from her chest and examining it with obvious disgust.

"I still don't see why we have to wear these to this stupid meeting. I mean, what happens if Yamamoto ends up deciding we're going to be executed or something?"

Sanura shrugged, as did Kizuro. "Who knows? The old man always was pretty stuck up when it came to rules, if I remember right."

Rika, walking next to Sayomi, snorted, and covered her face with a hand. Really, she couldn't disagree with that statement; not when it made so much sense.

"So….which way to the First Division again?"

-;-

It was almost dead silent in the hall. All of the assembled Captains were waiting for someone to say something, but no one other than Shunsui seemed able to speak. The floral clad Captain had shifted so that he could speak quietly to Ukitake, with a vaguely amused Kensei standing next to him and several others shaking their heads or rolling their eyes. Leave it to the drunk to continue talking, even when a room was dead quiet.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" a voice bellowed.

Everyone jumped, excluding Unohana and Yamamoto, who merely glanced over to the gigantic set of heavy doors.

"What does it look like, dumbass? Where are we going, anyway?" another voice replied.

"Beats me. Hey! Where are you going, Ton-kun?"

"Isn't this the way to the meeting room?" an innocent voice asked.

A pair of squeals almost immediately ensued, closely followed by a chorused, "Awwwww! You're so cute, Ton-kun!"

Kyoraku's eyes widened. He knew those voices.

"AGH! Let me go! Lemme go!"

"You heard him! Let him go before you suffocate him!"

"Hey! Retards! I think this is the one." Yet another voice chimed in, further confusing many of the present Captains.

"I dare you to go in first." One of the voices said tauntingly.

"As if! You go first, if you're feeling so brave!" a near identical one snorted.

"You."

"You."

"You!"

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! IF NONE OF YOU ARE GOING IN, AT LEAST OPEN THE DAMN DOORS!"

Now Unohana raised a brow, the smallest of smirks tugging the edge of her lips as she recognized the low tone of the voice. Unfortunately, however, she was unable to put a name with a face, considering that she had neither, but she was aware of who was standing outside the meeting hall doors.

"Yes, ma'am…" the pair of voices said meekly before the giant dual doors swung inwards with a groan, revealing a rather large group of people standing there.

The most definitive was a tall, hawk-eyed man. Light brown hair with darker shades of the hue streaked through the straight curtain to the back of his neck, eyes a rather obvious bright gold. Rather than a Shinigami uniform, he wore a grey kosode and a darker pair of hakama underneath, belted with a silvery sash, and on his feet, a black pair of traditional Chinese cloth slippers went over the usual white bandages that Captain Soifon could name off the top of her head, considering that she wore the exact same pair.

Next to him, a raven haired woman stood quietly, light violet eyes curiously glancing over the room and its inhabitants. She was clad in a version of the Shinigami shihakusho: a tunic style kosode that closely resembled a Chinese tunic, with the sides slit up to her hips and a pair of hakama underneath. Like the first male, and all of the members of the group, now that the Captains took them in, she was also wearing Chinese slippers.

Behind her, a silver haired man murmured something in his companions ear, hair in a high tail that ended at his lower back. A pair of crimson eyes caught the light and flashed like rubies for a moment, unnerving a couple of the Captains. His uniform was only slightly altered, being a sleeveless black kosode, with the same Chinese slippers. Altogether, he didn't seem overly concerned about his surroundings.

His companion, too, didn't look overly concerned, but he did appear to be fidgeting, and his grey eyes were averted from anything and anyone. He appeared, really, to be quite young. Medium length black hair fell to his shoulders, hair hugging the nape of his neck. His uniform, as his companions was, had a sleeveless kosode and Chinese slippers. He mumbled something back to the silver haired man before shifting his weight over to the other foot.

Not too far off from them, a considerably tall brown haired woman was standing next to another brown haired woman, thick strands pulled back into a high tail and shockingly bright red bangs just covering one dark blue eye. Her arms were crossed over her well-endowed chest

The other brown haired hair resembled the first closely, with several differences. The first being the fact that her bangs were a bright blue instead of dark red. The second was the pair of gold eyes, and her uniform appeared to be the standard uniform with the same slippers.

The last two of the group…well, there really wasn't any other way to say that they were twins. They were the exact same from head to foot. They were both the same height, a bit taller than the rest of their group, with shaggy, straight blond hair that hung just past their shoulders and green eyes. They were also wearing the same thing, which meant that it was probably going to be a pain in the ass to attempt to tell them apart. The standard shihakusho, though it was left loosely open, revealing toned chests, and the same slippers as everyone else.

They, of course, were the first to speak.

"Hey. Dare you to go first, Ryo." The first snickered.

"Yeah right. You first, darling Roka." The other snorted with vague amusement, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.

"You."

"Yo-"

"Don't even think about it!" the hawk eyed man roared, moving in a blur of motion. The next thing that anyone knew, two blurs went flying through the air and landed in an ungraceful heap of flesh and shocked yelps. The Captains looked on in slight interest and humor as the two stood up in sync, their backs turned, and yelled, "WHAT WAS THAT FOR, ASSHOLE!" back at him.

"You two are fucking obnoxious!"

"Yeah? Well you're always cold, Nokeshi!" one of the twins retorted.

"And you never smile!" the other pouted.

"Who are you people?" Captain Hitsugaya asked, the short male crossing his arms and staring at the intruders, distracting the twins from their rant.

"I'm Roka!"

"And I'm Ryo!"

"We're twins." they shrugged in unison.

"Karasu Himura." The silver haired man drawled, throwing an arm around his seemingly timid counterpart. "And this is Tonbo Ichirou."

"Rika Kasuga." The raven haired woman bowed slightly.

"Sayomi Nokeshi, although I guess I go by Chirazuki now. The twit standing next to me is my sister Sanura and the cranky guy over there is our brother, Kizuro." The blue eyed woman smirked, jutting a thumb towards the other brown haired woman and man respectively. It earned a few stares. They didn't look too alike.

"Sayomi, that's mean!" her sister whined, pouncing onto her shoulders and pulling her into a headlock. "Take it back!"

"Sanura, let go!"

"Apologize!"

"You'll never take me alive!"

"Baka! We're Shinigami! We're already dead!"

"Right…"

Yeah. On second thought, it was obvious they were related. Yamamoto was nearly ready to beat his head against the wall already. He'd forgotten how irritating those two could be, and they'd been in his Division at one point!

"Roka and Ryo Masamune, Sayomi, Sanura and Kizuro Nokeshi, Rika Kasuga, Tonbo Ichirou and Karasu Himura." He addressed, voice immediately cutting off any further exclamations. "I have ended the exile of you and yours to have you return to Soul Society because of something that is sending us into an emergency state as of now."

Amid the sudden murmurs, Tonbo's hand raised into the air.

"What is it, Ichirou?" Yamamoto growled, having a feeling he already knew what the black haired male was going to do next.

"You're really old." He replied, tilting his head to one side and raising a brow. In the background, the coos from the twins alerted everyone to the fact that it appeared as if Tonbo was some kind of pet.

Unohana hid a smile behind her hand, while Kyoraku outright snorted a laugh, along with Shinji.

Yamamoto twitched.

"Refrain from making such comments again."

"Of course." Tonbo smirked, an innocent look plastered across his face.

"I will not tolerate any further interruptions again."

"Of course you won't." Sanura muttered.

"Is there a problem?" Yamamoto asked lowly, reiatsu beginning to flare. Sanura shot the Head Captain a deadpan stare.

"I just interrupted you, and miraculously, I'm not a pile of ashes floating through the air yet. So yeah, I guess you could say that there is a problem. You're not obliterating me."

Silence fell. Then-

"You know, Yama-jii, she's got a point." Kyoraku pointed out. "You did say that you wouldn't put up with anymore of this crap, and yet here we are."

Yamamoto himself…well, he wasn't doing so good. He was irritated, he wanted to get this damn meeting over with so he could get back to his office and crack open a bottle of sake, and above all he wanted all of these incompetent idiots out of his sight!

"As I have been saying, and as the Captains present are already aware, one of the original members of Aizen's army has been sighted in the Rukon Districts. You have been reinstated and will be-"

"No."

"Excuse me?" Yamamoto blinked.

"You heard me. I said no. I'm not about to be the last resort that you want me to be. That is why you've brought us here, isn't it? You want us to get rid of the pest problem. After all, it wouldn't be that much of a loss to you. We're the ones who defected over to the Quincy; why not sacrifice us to the Espada. And don't look so shocked about that. I'm pretty sure the entire world clued into that particular shitfest." Sayomi rolled her eyes. "So no. Now, if that's all you wanted to discuss, I'll see myself out. I have people to see and places to be."

Turning on her heel, the brown haired woman stalked back the way they'd just come, spine rigid. The rest of the group quickly followed, Roka and Ryo making several rude hand gestures as they did so.

Well, this certainly wasn't going the way that he'd planned. Yamamoto internally cursed. The damn woman did, after all, have a point. He would prefer not to get his own troops involved unless absolutely necessary, and considering all past events, he had thought it to be a flawless plan. However, now that this problem had risen, he took note that it wasn't the case. And right now, they were another potential threat that could rise against Soul Society in the future. Really, he only had two options available to him. Let them leave, or….

"Wait." Another voice stated.

Sayomi turned.

"We would be grateful for your help, former Lieutenant Nokeshi." Ukitake stepped forward before bowing. "If you would reconsider, I would personally join you in the Rukon Districts to hunt down this Espada and permanently ensure the safety of the people there."

Most of the newer generation present were shocked. This woman was _Ukitake's_ former Lieutenant?

Yamamoto was about to object when a heated glare from Soifon, of all people, silenced him. Glancing around the room, he was mildly surprised to note that Unohana, Toshiro, Komamura, and Byakuya were all giving him similar looks.

Even though he was the Head Captain, Yamamoto knew he was outnumbered.

"As I have said. If you change your minds, you will be reinstated into the Gotei 13 and given seats after testing. Along with this, you will receive special rights to visit the World of the Living at will while keeping your positions in your squads. And as of now, should you accept this mission, you will be granted two Captains and three lieutenants of your choice to go to the Rukon. I believe Captain Ukitake has already volunteered."

Sayomi frowned further, the creases lining her skin deeply. After a moment of looking to the rest of the exiles, she shrugged. "We'll consider in the hall. Excuse us."

Yamamoto was glad to find that he wasn't the only one breathing a sigh of relief as they exited the room, but he knew it wasn't over just yet.

-;-

"Well?" Sayomi asked as soon as the doors closed behind them. "What do you guys think about it?"

"What do you mean 'well'?" Kizuro snapped. "I say screw it and get the hell outta here."

Roka and Ryo were silent for once, serious looks on their faces. They'd already made up their minds. Strange, considering the stand-off that Sayomi and the Head Captain had had, but there was something here for them.

"_We're going to accept." _they quietly cut in.

Rika nodded along with their words. "I will accept as well. I find their offer a fair trade. Despite the fact that the circumstances are more than a little untimely, in the long run it'll prove beneficial."

Tonbo tilted his head. "I'll go wherever Karasu goes." he half smiled. "After all, we've been partners for so long I don't know what would happen if we weren't anymore."

Karasu shrugged. "I guess I'll take them up on the offer too, then. But hey, we could always choose to leave. Isshin did, if you recall."

"Hai! I'll accept if Sayomi does." Sanura chirped, snapping a salute off. "What about you, brother dearest? Are you going to join up with the Shinigami again?"

Kizuro growled, knowing he was seriously outnumbered, and if they went...he would too.

"Fine."

Sayomi smirked. She knew how their brother worked all too well. If you could get the women to agree on something, the hawk eyed man didn't stand a chance.

-;-

"We accept your offer, with a few terms of our own."

Yamamoto really, really, _really_ wanted to burn something with his zanpakuto. As in, incinerate it, somehow make it whole again, and burn it all over again.

"We want an out. We can quit if we desire, and not be labeled exiles. And we will refuse a seat if it is already filled in a squad."

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

"It seems we have a deal."


	4. Chapter 4

**Whoop. Guess who's back, people? Again? Yes.**

**School started up again, so I will apologize for the further delays in my already erratic updates. But luckily, I don't have much further to go!**

-;-

Roka and Ryo were the first out of the giant hall, bent forwards with their arms back in an arrow formation and running in circles making odd buzzing noises.

"Do I even want to know what you two idiots are doing?" Kizuro deadpanned, crossing his arms and watching them casually.

"_We're airplanes!_" they chorused before bursting into cackles and continuing on further down the hall. Sayomi started cackling as Sanura joined in, circling around Kizuro and buzzing before joining the twins, who began copying Sanura and doing loops around Kizuro.

Rika smiled in amusement, while Karasu rolled his eyes and prevented Tonbo from joining in, knowing that he would only disorient and possibly harm himself in the process. The Captains, filtering out after the rather large group, were slightly surprised at the sudden change in behavior.

Ukitake and Shunsui approached the group as most of the other Captains left, Shunsui raising his hat up get a better look at the blond twins running around and giggling. In a manly way, of course.

"Nokeshi-san," Ukitake called out quietly, brows creased slightly.

Both women and the one male looked up, Sanura stopping mid-step and causing Roka to slam into her with a yelp. Then Ryo, not noticing either of them, tripped and face-planted into the ground on top of them.

Sayomi sighed at her twins behavior and looked back at her former Captain. To be honest, she hadn't even remembered which Division she'd been in, let alone her previous Captains face. Rubbing the back of her neck, she shifted her weight onto one hip.

"That would be me, Captain."

"Ne, are those two really my former third seats?" Shunsui commented offhandedly, tilting his head slightly at the blond twins, who were now bickering about watching where they were going.

"HEY! Roka! Ryo!" Sayomi bellowed, silencing the pair immediately and causing them to look over with wide eyes, no doubt expecting to get a tongue-lashing.

_"Hai..?" _they replied timidly.

"Is this guy your former Captain?" she asked, jabbing a thumb towards the kimono clad man. Ryo bounced up, closely followed by Roka, and curiously peered up under the large brimmed hat.

"_Yep!" _they replied after several seconds, nodding cheerfully.

"It's been a long time, Captain." Roka half smiled, tilting his head ever so slightly to one side. Ryo nodded in agreement, though it was doubtful he was actually listening to the conversation.

Sayomi sighed, realizing that the twins being there would most likely conflict with whatever Ukitake wanted to speak with her about.

"Hey, Masamune. Go annoy Kizuro. I want to talk to Captain Ukitake. _Alone_."

They stared at her blankly for a moment before darting off with war cries, mobbing Kizuro and earning a couple of well-earned punches in return.

Sayomi sighed. "Boys. Completely unless you need a distraction." she muttered, shaking her head and crossing her arms. Shunsui snickered, making the poor woman jump and nearly fall over.

"My apologies." she murmured, though there were traces of a smirk at the edges of her lips.

"It is quite alright, Nokeshi-san." Ukitake smiled gently back. "Actually, since you accepted the offer, I was wondering if you would like to meet each of the lieutenants and mark which ones will come along into the Rukon."

Sayomi tilted her head slightly. "So, I take it that you, Captain Kyoraku, will be the other Captain coming?"

"Correct, Sayomi-chan." Shunsui grinned, tipping his hat to examine the lovely woman.

"Please refrain from greeting me as such when you don't know me, _sir_." Sayomi replied pleasantly, though her reiatsu spiked just enough to show that it was a dark, unforgiving mass of midnight that promised pain.

"...Very well, Nokeshi-chan."

"Much better."

-;-

Ukitake led Sayomi through the maze of Soul Society, said woman recognizing a couple of the barracks as they approached, each a variation of people and skills. As she assessed each Division, she compiled a list of characteristics of each lieutenant and their squad.

The First Division was an automatic no. Sayomi really didn't want to have to deal with anyone who worked directly under Yamamoto, regardless of who they were. After all, who knew what the old man would do to the poor guy who would be coming along with them if she had chosen them?

The Second Division was pathetic. Omaeda was a selfish, greedy man who looked as though if he took one step he would fall over and lay there like a beached whale. Soifon, however, was someone she could see herself working with in the future. Although small in stature, she was vicious and cool in demeanor. Vaguely, she recalled Yoruichi mentioning something about her being the one that she had taken under her wing way back when, but she would have to double-check later.

The Third Division was promising. The lieutenant, although quiet, had experience and varied backgrounds in the squads that would prove beneficial. Not to mention that he was much too polite to even make a move on the brunette after introducing herself.

The Fourth Division was also promising. Isane was a gentle woman, but Sayomi could sense power beneath the surface of her reiatsu. It almost made her wonder why she was in the Fourth at all, but then again, she and Sanura had been in the First Division, once upon a time.

The Fifth Division...well, let's just say Sayomi wasn't too pleased with the state of affairs. With the lieutenant slightly off her rocker, she was a bit nervous to be around the girl, to be perfectly honest. What kind of state was Soul Society in that they couldn't find someone more competent and sane to replace the current nutter?

The Sixth Division was one to be avoided at all costs, she discovered. Stupid, stuck up nobles...Although Sayomi thought the red headed lieutenant was boyfriend potential for Sanura, as her sibling was currently infatuated with anything red. She would have to mention that to her sister later.

The Seventh...kinda creeped her out. Come on, how many Captains do you know that have the appearance of a giant dog? Even though Komamura was nice enough, she was a bit unnerved by his furry appearance. (And also resisted the urge to throw a stick to see what would happen)

The Eighth was out of the equation, by Shunsui's orders. He didn't want his precious 'Nanao-chan' to be in the heat of battle against an Arrancar of any sort. 'Nanao-chan' then beat him with a rather heavy looking tome. Sayomi liked her immediately.

The Ninth Division was slightly entertaining. As they were in charge of the newspaper, people were scuttling everywhere like ants in a hive. The lieutenant, although slightly intimidating by his scars and tattoos, was an extremely talented and level headed person. Not to mention polite, considering he smiled and kissed the back of her hand after introductions were made.

The Tenth Division lieutenant was notably absent during the meetings. Shunsui merely smirked and mentioned that 'although Matsumoto had an alcohol addiction of sorts, she was a hard worker.' Yeah. Sayomi had heard that one before.

The Eleventh Division was fun, in her opinion. Right off the get go, she could see herself sparring with all of the men and interacting with the pink haired lieutenant. Said lieutenant was quite powerful, although it was difficult to tell since she masked it with childish innocence. Good tactic in the long run, though.

The Twelfth Division was just plain _awesome_. Sayomi wanted to run around pulling everything apart and seeing how all the machinery worked, considering that one of her passions included science. In fact, she had been in the Twelfth for a short while when Urahara had been in charge. In other matters, she pitied the poor lieutenant, as she was just another experiment of the psycho that everyone called Captain. However, she wasn't about to trust her, having heard rumors from the other eleven squads earlier. Plus…she was a little wary of the weird Captain.

As The Thirteenth Division currently had no lieutenant, Sayomi politely declined assessing the two third seats, but enjoyed re-exploring the barracks. The quiet and calm squad was familiar, and she felt at home within the first five seconds.

Which led her to where she was now.

She, Rika, and Kizuro were all seated on one of the smooth stone benches around a small pond, Sayomi sharing her thoughts.

"I think that of all the Divisions I saw, the most competent choices would be Izuru Kira, Isane Kotetsu, Shuhei Hisagi, Renji Abarai, Rangiku Matsumoto and Nanao Ise, despite what Captain Kyoraku might say." She suggested.

Kizuro leaned back, stretching leisurely. "I'll go with whoever you and Rika choose. You two are better at these kinds of things."

Rika sighed good-naturedly, a slight smile pulling at her lips before she looked back to Sayomi. "Who are you thinking of bringing with us?"

Sayomi thought for a moment. "Isane Kotetsu. She's from Fourth, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to come with us. Not only that, but she's quite powerful even if she doesn't show it. Then there's Shuhei Hisagi, who knew Kaname Tousen, another Captain who defected with Aizen. Not only that, but he's pretty level headed and manages the paperwork and the newspaper in his squad. But at the same time, if we were to take him with us, it would probably fuck with a few things. So instead, I would say Kira and Nanao. They're both balanced in their styles, from what Captain Ukitake told me, so it would be good to take them."

Rika absorbed the information before sighing. "I suppose that's it, then." She nodded. "You'll probably have to barter with Captain Kyoraku to let Lieutenant Ise go with us, but other than that the other two sound like they'll do well around us."

"Well, we can hope." Kizuro shrugged. "But, knowing Sanura and the twins, it's highly unlikely."

"Don't count me out just yet." Sayomi giggled, flipping her bangs out of her face. "Remember, Sanura and I are close enough in age that we're mistaken for twins."

"Don't remind me." Kizuro groaned.

"Too late!" Sayomi sniggered.

-;-

"Hey! Kaijin!"

Sanura glanced up from her plate of prawn tempura, mouth stuffed full, and stifled a snicker at the fact there was a bald guy coming towards her, zanpakuto slung across his shoulders casually.

"I have a name you know." she replied after swallowing. "I suggest you use it."

"Whatever." he shrugged. "The name's Ikkaku Madarame. Third Seat of the Eleventh Squad."

Sanura went back to eating her tempura, munching contentedly and savoring the taste of the sweet sauce that she'd drizzled over their surfaces. Really, why were people irritating her while she was trying to enjoy her food?

"...Are you even listening to me?"

"Nope." she admitted, sending a cheeky grin his way. "Say, were you born bald or did you just shave your head?"

_"WHAT WAS THAT?" _he snarled, suddenly in her face.

Unfazed, Sanura poked him in the forehead. "I just asked you a question. No need to get angry, baldy." She muttered, giving him a deadpan look.

Ikkaku's outraged yells were heard throughout Soul Society.

-;-

Karasu and Tonbo were wandering casually throughout the maze that used to be their home.

Tonbo, of course, was being easily distracted by the odd Hell Butterfly that flew by, attempting to dart after them and only failing due to the face that Karasu held him back by the scruff of his neck.

"Tonbo, stay." he rolled his eyes. "If I let you chase a butterfly, you'll end up eating it."

Tonbo's face fell. "But...they taste so good!" he whined, using the trademark kicked puppy expression, which he coincidentally had down to a T.

"What if Soul Society was about to blow up and you ate one of the butterflies?" Karasu sighed, shrugging off the pathetic expression like it was nothing. He'd had a good couple hundred years to get used to it. Not a lot phased him anymore.

Tonbo tilted his head to one side with slight irritation. Probably because Karasu was treating him like a child again, something that he despised. "Soul Society would explode?" he suggested.

"Yes, Tonbo. Soul Society would explode." Karasu rolled his eyes.

"How exactly is that a bad thing?" Tonbo deadpanned. "If it explodes then all of our problems go away and we can go back home in the World of the Living."

Karasu face-palmed, even though he had to admit that the black haired male did have a point. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to let him eat just a couple of the Hell Butterflies, as odd a habit as it was…


	5. Chapter 5

**Back again with another chapter? I believe I am. Feeling so under the weather at the moment, but luckily the Dayquil isn't needed and my strange, medication induced hallucinations are gone. **

-;-

Sayomi, to be honest, wasn't having the best day. Really, as cool as it was to be back in Soul Society, there was just something there that wasn't giving her the same intrigue it once had. Back when she had still been an active member of the militia.

She sighed, tilting her head back and feeling her hair tickle the nape of her neck. The sun still felt as nice as ever, though, so anything else could wait for just a moment while she took a moment of her own time to be alone and soak in everything that was going on.

Her thoughts, and plans, however, were interrupted quite suddenly by a shadow that flickered over her face, closely followed by a tickle on her nose as a Hell Butterfly landed.

"_All members of the Gotei Thirteen and Kaijin are required immediately for the testing and placement into the Divisions. All Captains and Kaijin make their way to the First Division barracks immediately."_

"It's times like these that I hate my life." Sayomi muttered, falling back onto the roof of the building she was sitting on and groaning.

-;-

Kizuro rubbed his forehead tiredly, wishing that he had a cup of coffee in his hand. The damned butterfly that had woken him up, had, unfortunately, met a tragic demise, and despite the fact that he'd had a catnap, he wasn't in the best of moods at the moment.

Actually, now that he thought about it, he was about to be in an even worse mood, considering that he didn't recognize a damn roof around him and he was smack dab in the middle of some kind of maniacal maze.

"Great. Just fucking great." He muttered, running a hand through his hair before sighing. "I knew something like this was going to happen. I just didn't think that it would be so damn soon…"

Picking a random direction, the eldest Nokeshi shunpoed off the roof and disappeared in a blur of motion. Hopefully, for the sake of most of the lesser ranking members of the Divisions, they wouldn't have the misfortune of running into the irate male. But, given the amount of luck that anyone had, it was, of course, highly predictable that someone would be on the receiving end of a zanpakuto and sent to the Fourth Division before the day was out.

-;-

Rika, luckily enough, was with Sanura and the twins when the Hell Butterfly came flying down from the sky, and even better was that the twins knew exactly where they were going, which meant that they would be able to get there faster than most of the current Shinigami knew how to. The only question would be when Tonbo and Karasu would arrive. Given Tonbo's nature of getting distracted more than a little easily, it would be something of a game of chance for the pair to arrive at the First Division.

Especially on time.

-;-

After many detours, the Kaijin and Captains managed to make it to the First Division Meeting Hall, where Yamamoto sat regally in his large chair, cane held delicately beneath his palms. The Captains all stood at attention, spread in a single long line across from the smaller line of former exiles. Both sides stood silently, several members eying up one another warily before deciding to simply go with it and stare expectantly at the Head Captain for explanation.

"Captains of the Gotei Thirteen. Kaijin." Yamamoto greeted. "You are all well aware of why I have asked your presence here today. As you have been reinstated, you will be placed into a Division of either your own or a Captain's choice. When your name is stated, step forward. The Captains who wish to see you in their Divisions will also step forward."

Sayomi decided that she really didn't like the loud tone of the Head Captain's voice. Fortunately, it appeared that she wasn't the only one who was affected by it. Sanura, standing on the other side of Kizuro, was flinching as well at the elder man's words.

"Nokeshi Sayomi."

She stepped forward, not really liking how all eyes were on her, and straightened her back, crossing her arms behind her back in the manner she'd been taught at the Shino Academy.

To her mild surprise, Shinji, Kyoraku, Kenpachi, Kurotsuchi and Ukitake all stepped forward. However, she already knew where she wanted to go, and there wasn't going to be any questions asked about it. Bowing to Ukitake, she stated, "I would like to be placed in my former Division, sir."

"Is your decision final?"

"Yes, sir."

"Decision accepted." Yamamoto nodded, before his eyes rested on his next target. "Nokeshi Sanura."

Captain Kurotsuchi stepped back from the small band already standing where they were, only to be replaced by Captain Unohana. Grinning, Sanura's golden eyes honed in on the very large and very scarred Kenpachi. "I'm going to Captain Kenpachi." She announced, earning several shocked looks from the Captains present.

"Is your decision final?"

"Yep."

"Decision accepted."

Sanura giggled, stepping back and fist-bumping the twins excitedly.

"Masamune Roka."

Both Kenpachi and Unohana stepped back, and Soifon and Kensei stepped forward. Roka completely ignored everyone, saluting cheerily to Kyoraku and flashing a bright smile in his former Captain's direction. "I want to be placed back in my former Division."

"Decision accepted. Masamune Ryo."

So far, it seemed as though the original group of Captains were staying forward, meaning that most of the members of the Kaijin would have somewhere to go when they were called forward.

"I'm going wherever Roka goes. That's about all you need to know." Ryo snorted, running a hand through his hair and yawning.

"Decision accepted." Yamamoto nodded, although internally he was debating how bad it would be if he decided to completely incinerate this group of insubordinate children. He knew from experience that if Kyoraku and Ukitake teamed up, they stood a very good chance of taking him on…but that could be fixed with a short and very powerful fireball, right?

"Ichirou Tonbo."

Soifon stiffened up suddenly, and the black haired male studied all of the Captains standing forward carefully before his eyes landed on Shinji. Tilting his head to one side, he and the blond haired Captain watched another for a handful of minutes before Tonbo nodded, apparently satisfied about something.

"I would like to go to the Fifth."

"Is your decision final?"

"Yes."

"Accepted."

Shinji, on the other hand, looked rather shocked that Tonbo had chosen to be placed in his Division when most of the other Captains looked down at him as a freak; the weird one. Hell, Kensei got some of the same, but it just wasn't on the same level. However, he remedied the shock by sending a straight toothed grin at the shy looking male. Tonbo appeared unaffected, instead flashing a quick smile in return.

"Nokeshi Kizuro."

Soifon stepped back, replaced by Captain Hitsugaya. Kenpachi stepped forwards as well, but then again, it wasn't all that surprising.

Kizuro's gold eyes flicked across the selection of Captains before settling on the white haired Captain. Quirking a brow, the brown haired male shrugged his shoulders before nodding.

"Tenth Division." He drawled.

"Is your decision final?"

"I would assume so."

"Accepted." Yamamoto's voice sounded strained, and his fingers were a bit white at the knuckles from his tight grip on his sealed zanpakuto. However, after several silent and very deep breaths, he reined in his temper and focused on the task at hand. The sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could go and burn something to the ground.

"Kasuga Rika."

Unohana stepped forward again, a soft smile on her face. She knew the younger black haired woman well, and she hoped that she would once again be working with her in the Fourth.

"Fourth Division." The black haired nurse smiled.

"Accepted."

Yamamoto knew better than to question her decision. Healers were few and far in between in Soul Society, and he knew Unohana was once a very close mentor of the younger woman.

"Himura Karasu."

Komamura stepped forward, along with Byakuya, oddly enough. However, the noble wasn't allowing any emotion to cross his features, so it was near impossible to figure out what was going through the man's head. But that didn't seem to change the fact that he had actually stood forward for this man. Soifon scowled. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she had been hoping that the noble wouldn't get involved. It meant that he was actually serious about it.

"The Seventh." Karasu stated finally.

"Is your decision-"

"Obviously it is." Karasu interrupted, rolling his eyes and stifling a yawn.

"Very well. Accepted. Meeting adjourned. Kaijin, gather your belongings and proceed to your new barracks. You will be tested for you ranks there."

_Now get the hell out of my Division so I can crack open a bottle of sake and attempt to forget the decisions I've made in the last twenty four hours. _

-;-

"Yomi-chan, I'm going to miss you!" Sanura wailed, clinging onto her sister as they stood outside the Eleventh Division. The youngest Nokeshi sibling was currently one of the most emotional and dramatic people that Sayomi could claim to know, and she would punch anyone who said anything different. Point in case being Karasu, at one point.

"Sanura, you'll be fine." She sighed, trying and failing to pry her younger sister off of her waist. "All you've got to do is remember not to break any of the guys, okay? You're a lot stronger than them, and they do get hurt easier than Kizuro and I."

"I know…"

"Hey. Sanura. You can come and visit anytime you like. I'm like, seventy feet down the road. I don't think it's going to be that big of a deal as long as I don't have to do anything."

"But- I'm gonna miss you!"

"Yes, I understand that. But you're a big girl now, sweetie. You can do it." Sayomi rolled her eyes. Honestly. How was it that she ended up with these people as her family? They were completely hopeless when they were left on their own.

"Fine. But I'm gonna come and visit you all the time, Yomi-chan." Sanura said seriously.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Sanura." Sayomi sighed heavily.

Why had she thought this was a good idea, again?


End file.
